Stasis
by BlueBell765
Summary: Set during Girl Meets Semi-Formal. Yogi decides to let Lucas know someone is moving in on his girl. Yoby. Rucas. Minor Chaya.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So... I was going to do another quick one shot "Death of a Triangle: Girl Meets Semi-Formal." I had an idea in mind, but then I re-watched Semi-Formal. Man, that episode was such a (pardon my language) clusterfuck! I could literally pick any scene from that episode and use it to kill the triangle. Between Lucas being clueless, Maya being passive-aggressive, Riley being a wimp, and Charlie being Charlie, I wanted to pull my own hair out! Even the adults were idiots!**

 **So, instead of doing a one shot, I am doing my first multi-chapter! It will probably be only 2 or 3 chapters, and I don't know when I will update. This one is a bit different for me. It should be much more light-hearted, and I am working with some different characters and coming at it from a different angle.**

 **I imagine I will tackle Semi-Formal again from a triangle perspective, but this idea came to me the minute I saw Yogi on skates. Seriously, how did Charlie plan something that elaborate without any of our Core Four finding out beforehand?**

 **Anyways, I own nothing and no one! Enjoy!**

"All I'm saying is I think he deserves to know. I would want to know if it were about you."

"The difference is no one would ask me. The whole school knows we belong together," Darby said as she and Yogi walked hand in hand through the halls of JQA.

"Well, I think they belong together, too!"

"Puh-lease, Yogs. I bet Charlie would be good for Riley. Plus, I totally ship Lucaya."

Yogi rolled his eyes at the "ship" name his classmates had come up with for the two blondes.

"I just think we should give them all the information. Then the four of them can decide for themselves who belongs with who."

Coming to a stop at Darby's locker, she turned to look down at her boyfriend.

"If you are so against Charlie and Riley, why are you helping him ask her to semi-formal anyways?"

Yogi shrugged his shoulders. "I always wanted to learn how to skate."

Darby giggled as she started putting her books and things in her backpack. Satisfied that she had everything she needed for her homework tonight, she slammed the locker closed, spun the lock, and grabbed her boyfriend's hand once more.

"I'm not against the idea of Charlie and Riley. Charlie's a nice guy. BUT I think Riley's against the idea of Charlie and Riley. She likes Lucas. She has since he moved here. Everybody knows that."

He kept talking as they idly walked down the quickly emptying hallways. "Half of the time, I don't think she even knows Charlie exists."

Darby laughed, nodding in agreement. "Well, I just think maybe she should open her eyes to different possibilities. It's only a matter of time before Maya and Lucas give in to their burning passion for one another."

The topic of Maya, Lucas, Riley, and Charlie kept them occupied the entire walk to Topanga's. They had had similar conversations before, so Yogi had an answer for every point Darby made about Lucas and Maya. Just like Darby had an answer for every point he made about Lucas and Riley.

She believed all Maya's teasing was "built up sexual tension," while he believed it was Maya being Maya. She teased everyone, even Mr. Matthews. And besides even if Maya liked Lucas, it didn't mean that Lucas liked Maya. He was the only person who seemed to find all of Riley's quirks, clumsiness, and goofiness charming. Riley deserved someone who liked her for who she was, and so did Maya for that matter. And Lucas deserved someone who built him up, not someone who tore him down.

The conversation always ended up going around in circles, and this time it was no different. Adding Charlie to the mix did make for an interesting twist, and Darby was sure to point out that Charlie's gesture would sweep Riley right off her feet.

Once they reached Topanga's, they took a seat in the very back corner, away from the prying eyes of their classmates. The couple had learned a lesson back when Lucas and Riley tried to be boyfriend/girlfriend, and despite their relationship being old news, they took precautions to make sure their private business stayed private. They both preferred to stay in the background anyhow.

"All I'm saying is we have to respect what they all want. We can't just push our classmates together for our own entertainment. Imagine who we would have ended up with if we listened to what everyone thought about us."

Darby shuddered, thinking back to the beginning of 7th grade when Sarah had kept trying to get her to date Charlie. When she and Yogi finally did get together, a few of the kids made fun of them because of how unconventional they looked together.

Actually, it was Riley who gave her an impassioned speech about the heart wanting what it wants and to always, always, ALWAYS follow your heart no matter what anyone else said or thought.

"Okay, but I still say by the end of semi-formal, Chiley and Lucaya will happen."

"Well, I am going to tell Lucas that Charlie is planning on asking Riley. He deserves a chance to ask her himself."

"He has had 10 months!"

Yogi rolled his eyes again. He would never understand this whole 10-month thing. Darby had asked him to the semi-formal the minute the posters came out, but he always assumed they would go together to any dance no matter when it was.

"Besides, you've seen both sides of Riley's notebook, she might tell Lucas no. Especially if she knows Charlie is going to ask her."

Yogi scoffed, sliding out of the booth. Noticing Lucas and Farkle were sitting by the window without Riley and Maya for once, he gave Darby a kiss on the cheek before walking over there.

Yogi stood quietly in front of Lucas and Farkle, waiting for them to notice his presence. They were on pretty friendly terms, but Yogi didn't really talk much to anyone besides Darby. She was the only person who made him feel like what he had to say was important and worth saying. She was his whole world.

Riley had always supported the two of them together. They had gone to the same school and been in the same classes their whole lives, but they didn't really travel in the same groups. However whenever they were partnered up for projects or ran into each other on the subway, Riley was always kind and welcoming.

When the rest of the class had given him a tough time for being with Darby because of their height difference, She even gave him a framed picture of him and Darby sitting together during a field trip in the first grade, arms wrapped around each other, huge smiles on both their faces. She had painted the wooden frame purple, of course, and pasted the words "forever and always" in foam letters to the bottom of it.

The picture sat on his desk at home and never failed to make him smile. He owed Riley the same kindness and unwavering support. She deserved to find her own Darby.

Finally both boys looked up at him, pausing in their conversation.

"Hey, Yogi. Did you have a question about our homework?" Farkle asked.

"Hey. Uh, no. Actually, I wanted to talk to Lucas."

The two seated boys exchanged glances before Farkle stood up. "Okay, I'm going to go get the girls some drinks before they get here."

Yogi glanced up at the window, checking for any sign of Maya or Riley. He waited until Farkle was out earshot before taking a seat.

"What's up?" Lucas questioned, a friendly smile pasted to his face.

"Look, man, I don't know how to tell you this, but Charlie Gardner is planning to ask Riley to the semi-formal."

"What?" Lucas seemed genuinely confused as the smile faded from his face. "Everyone knows Riley and I have an unofficial thing. We are going to go together."

Yogi shook his head, smirking. "Have you asked her?"

"Well, no, I just assumed..."

"You just assumed Riley would wait around for you? That no one else would want to take her?"

"No! Of course, someone else would want to take her. Who wouldn't? I just thought-"

Noticing Farkle was headed back towards them, Yogi stood. "Well, if you want to be with Riley, you better do something. Charlie is going all out. He taught me to skate!"

Lucas was staring off in the distance, a strange, dejected expression on his face. "He did?"

Yogi placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, nodding sympathetically. The normally confident boy seemed to shrink within himself, quietly asking, "Do you think she likes him back?"

Yogi shrugged his shoulders. He had seen Riley and Charlie exchange a few words here and there. She was always friendly with him, but then again Riley was friendly with everyone.

"We know she likes you, but with everything that happened last week..."

Lucas ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "I voted for you and Darby for cutest couple. Why couldn't the two of you be cuter, huh?"

Yogi shrugged again before mumbling, "I think we're pretty darn cute."

By this time, Farkle had returned and was sitting next to Lucas, eyes darting between the two of them in confusion. Yogi glanced back at Darby, who gave him a flirtatious wave.

"I better get back."

"Yeah, thanks, man."

"What was that all about?" Farkle questioned, the confusion evident in his voice.

Both boys glanced at the door, jingling bells signaling the girls' presence.

"I may need your help, Farkle."

Riley could tell something was off with Lucas from the minute she got to the cafe. He seemed distracted and kept looking over at Yogi and Darby for some strange reason. Riley tried to ask him what's wrong, but he just smiled at her and said everything was fine. After a while, this put Riley in a bad mood.

Maya kept teasing him and calling him names and even grabbed his shirt. All of which he pointedly ignored. Riley knew he was lying about being fine, and Lucas lying to her didn't sit well with her.

Eventually she stopped trying to talk to him or anyone else altogether. She closed her textbook and tried to go over in her mind the events of the day. He seemed fine at school. Something must have happened when he and Farkle walked over to Topanga's, but Farkle seemed fine. It couldn't have been too serious or Farkle would have said something.

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Could he be mad at her? What had she done? Did Darby or Yogi tell him something awful? That didn't sound like something either of them would do, but Darby and Sarah were a huge part of the yearbook mess. They both seemed to think Lucas belonged with Maya.

"Riles," Maya whispered, nudging her gently. "Are you alright, honey? You got quiet all of a sudden."

Without acknowledging the comment or the boys sitting next to them, Riley grabbed Maya by the hand and led her to Darby and Yogi's table. Before she lost her nerve, she quickly said, "Darby, girls' room. Girls' room right now."

Without a word to Yogi, Darby got up and followed. All three boys stared after them with various looks of confusion on their faces.

The minute they got into the girls' bathroom, Maya started checking stalls. Once she was satisfied that they were alone, she locked the door. They made their way to the couch Topanga put in there the minute she took over the cafe.

"What's going on with Lucas?" Riley asked.

Maya opened her mouth to answer but immediately closed it, realizing the question was directed at Darby.

"Look, Riley, that's really between you and Lucas..."

"Oh, no, cupcake!" Maya interrupted. "This whole school has been in our business for as long as I can remember. If you have some information about Huckleberry, you share it!"

Darby's eyes lit up. "I knew you would be concerned!"

Sighing, Riley pleaded. "Please, Darby, he has been weird since we got here, and he keeps looking at you guys. Did you three fight or something?"

"No, Yogi just told him something he didn't want to hear."

At that moment someone tried to open the bathroom door. Maya stood up and banged back on the door. "It's occupied!"

She calmly walked back to the girls. "Continue."

"I probably shouldn't tell you this. Charlie wanted to surprise you with this whole thing, and he asked Yogi to help."

"Charlie? Gardner? What does he have to do with anything?" Riley asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"Oh, Riley! You are going to love it! He got balloons and flowers and a banner! He is even teaching Yogi to skate!"

"Okay...Still not seeing what this has to do with Lucas. Or me for that matter."

"Charlie wants to take you to semi-formal!" Darby gushed. "He waited to see if Lucas would ask you, and since he didn't, Charlie decided to sweep you off your feet! Isn't it so romantic?"

Riley turned to face Maya. "What is happening, Maya?"

"Tell me what you want me to say, and I'll say it. Are we excited?"

Riley shook her head sadly, before facing Darby. "So what happened with Lucas?"

Darby shrugged her shoulders. "Yogi and I were arguing, well not arguing because we never argue. We were more like debating..."

Maya snapped her fingers. "The point, Darby? We don't have all day."

"Yogi and I were DISCUSSING who the best couple would be. You and Lucas or you and Charlie." She turned to Maya, touching her hand gently. "Actually I said it was you and Lucas, Maya."

Maya banged her fist against her forehead.

"Any who, Yogi decided he had to tell Lucas about Charlie's plan to give him the chance to ask you himself. I said he already had 10 months, but-"

Riley grabbed her shoulder. "So wait, Lucas knows Charlie is going to ask me? And he still hasn't asked me himself."

Darby shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he finally sees what we all have seen all along. Maybe he doesn't like you that way anymore, Riley."

Realizing how rude that sounded, she put a friendly arm over Riley's shoulder, giving her a half hug before she stood up. "But Charlie is a really great guy. He would make you super happy, don't you think? Everybody else does."

Darby left the bathroom, giving Riley one last sympathetic look over her shoulder. Riley put her knees up, wrapping her arms around her legs. She leaned forward to rest her head on her thighs, turning to look at Maya, unshed tears sparkling in her big brown eyes.

"Can the world be just me and you, Maya?"

They sat in silence in the bathroom for few more minutes, Maya gently stroking Riley's hair. When Riley's tears dried up, she stood, wiping her face and checking herself in the mirror. When she was satisfied that she was presentable, she gave herself a nod and one more to Maya for good measure before walking out to the cafe.

When they got back to the boys, Maya took her seat, but Riley just stood, staring at Lucas. Lucas met her gaze with a gentle smile. She waited to see if he was going to say or do anything, but all he did was stare.

Looking down at Maya, she started gathering her things. "I can't do this."

She rushed out the door, bumping into Zay on his way into the cafe. Not even stopping to apologize or waiting to see if Maya would follow, she rushed off up the steps, tripping a bit in her haste to get away.

Zay pointed at Riley. "What's up with her?"

Maya began violently gathering her things.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask your friend?" she spat, gesturing to Lucas.

"Me?" Lucas questioned, sitting up straight. "What did I do?"

"It's what you didn't do, ya moron! Come on, Farkle!" she grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

Without a word, Farkle calmly grabbed his things.

"Where are you guys going?" Zay asked.

"Where do you think?" Farkle snapped back. He had no clue what was going on, but someone had hurt Riley. Maya seemed to think it was Lucas. "Bay window. Lucas, I'll call you later to discuss what you needed help with."

Lucas had already begun gathering his things. "That's not important. Whatever is wrong with Riley is. I want to help. I'm coming with ya'll."

"Trust me, Huckleberry, you are the last person she wants to see right now."

Lucas sat back down, hunching his shoulders. Maybe Darby told her about Charlie. Maybe Riley wants to go to the dance with Charlie and doesn't know how to tell him no. Maybe she wants nothing to do with him.

But... that didn't explain why Maya was so mad or why Riley looked so hurt. With a determined look on his face, he stood up, standing right in front of Maya with his arms crossed.

"I'm going to go check on Riley, and I'm going to fix whatever's wrong."

Glancing around at the group, he continued. "And no one is going to stop me."

Nodding once, he turned, and all three of his friends followed him out the door.

Darby and Yogi exchanged glances. "What the heck happened in that bathroom?!" Yogi exclaimed.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This is just a short chapter to set up the final chapter, but it is the first time I used Zay and Farkle quite a bit, and I have to say I am pleased with the results. Hopefully, you will be, too!  
I probably won't be able to update again until the weekend. I work nights and my shifts are 12 hours long, so expect updates and new stories and good stuff to come out on Sundays or Mondays. Maybe Saturday evenings. ****I own nothing and no one.**

Lucas, Maya, and Farkle made their way up the fire escape in silence. Maya had blatantly refused to talk from the minute they left the cafe, periodically shooting Lucas death glares.

Lucas, for the most part, attempted to ignore her looks, keeping his face both impassive and determined all at once. He knew getting Maya to explain what was going on was impossible at this point, she hadn't even wanted him to come to the window. He did everything he could to not react to her, hoping he would get the answers he so desperately wanted as soon as he saw his girl.

Farkle kept glancing between the two, still completely in the dark about what was going on. He was a smart kid, a genius really, so usually when his friends had problems he could put the pieces together and figure out what was going on. Usually. This time he felt like he was missing all the information. He wasn't used to feeling so helpless. It was frustrating. When they got to Riley's window, he found it was locked for the first time since he had met the brunette.

Farkle threw his arms up in the air, staring up at the sky. "Can someone please tell me what is going on? Everything was fine until Yogi had some weird conversation with Lucas. Then, you two pull Darby into the bathroom, and now no one is talking to anyone! And the bay window is LOCKED! LOCKED, MAYA!"

Maya's eyes darted to the window, stomping over to where Lucas was standing. "This is all your fault, Lucas Friar!"

"I didn't do anything!" he shouted, holding his arms up in a gesture of defeat.

"Exactly!"

"It's locked, Lucas!" Farkle shouted at him. He tried the window one more time. Then tried the next one for good measure. Neither would budge. "As long as I have known Riley, she has never locked these windows! Not even when she went on vacation in Philly because she wanted Maya and I to have a safe place to go!"

Watching his friend's futile attempts at opening the windows, Lucas sighed and sat down on the fire escape in defeat. Farkle slid down next to him. Maya stared at the two boys for a minute before rolling her eyes and coming to sit against the railing.

"What do we do now? She's never shut me out like this before." Maya looked over to Farkle, eyes glistening with tears.

Rolling his eyes, Farkle placed a comforting hand on Maya's shoulder. "I'm sure it's not about you, Maya, but maybe you guys could explain to me what's going on so I can help."

"I don't know what's going on either," Lucas said despondently.

He looked like such a lost puppy, Maya almost took pity on him. Almost.

"Well, let's start with what Yogi wanted. Then Maya can tell us what happened in the bathroom. Maybe if we all put together everything we know, we can figure this out and help our friend."

"Speaking of our friend," Maya said looking around. "Where did Zay go? Wasn't he following us?"

Lucas looked down to the sidewalk. When he didn't see any sign of his old friend, he shrugged and began his story.

Meanwhile, Zay, being Zay, went to the door to be buzzed in. In the short time that he had known the girls, he realized that the bay window was sacred. He didn't feel close enough to them just yet to waltz in Riley's room uninvited. It didn't seem polite. Especially when he had no clue what was even going on.

"It's Zay!"

Auggie skipped over to the door and immediately let him in. Without a word, Zay came in, opened the fridge, and grabbed a snack. Then, he headed into Riley's room. He was surprised to find it empty. The curtains to the bay window were closed, and the room was dark. Zay awkwardly swallowed the rest of his snack, walked out of the room, glanced around the hallway, and walked right back.

"Uh...Hellooo?"

"Drat! Did you actually use the door, ya animal?"

Zay followed the sound to Riley's walk in closet, finding her sitting with her back against the far wall, legs curled in front of her, tears rolling down her eyes.

"Oh, Sugar..." Seeing his new friend so distraught, he forgot all about the others, crawled into the closet next to her, and wrapped his arms around the shaking girl, who had become so important to him in such a short time. He cared about her, and not just because she was special to Lucas. She was one of those people who made the world brighter just by being in it, and he really felt blessed that she welcomed him into her life so easily.

He guided her head to his shoulder, running a soothing hand through her hair. "Tell Zay what happened and we'll figure out a way to make things alright again."

"That's just the problem, Zay." Riley said, pulling away from his touch to meet his eyes. "I don't know if things were ever alright to begin with."

He pulled her back into his embrace. "Well, we'll sort it out. Isn't that what you do-gooder types do?"

Despite the tears, Riley laughed and allowed Zay to pull her up off the floor.

Back outside, Lucas had told Maya and Farkle about his conversation with Yogi, and Maya had just finished explaining what went down in the girls' room.

"So, let me get this straight," Farkle said, sounding very skeptical as he looked back and forth from Maya to Lucas. "When you found out that Charlie was going to ask Riley, you naturally got upset. Instead of asking Riley yourself and ending this whole thing, you made it worse by doing nothing. Riley, being the genuine, caring, empathetic, person that she is, realized something was wrong. She realized it may have to do with Darby and Yogi, so she pulled Darby into some weird ritualistic meeting the girls' restroom."

"Darby made Riley feel awful about her relationship with Lucas because of all the rumors going around school about the two of you. When Riley realized that Lucas knew about Charlie and he did nothing, she assumed Lucas didn't want to ask her to the dance in the first place. That assumption, along with all the ridiculous stuff Darby and Sarah and the rest of the class have been saying about you three, made Riley rush off without talking to any of us about it?"

"That pretty much sums it up," Maya said as both she and Lucas nodded in agreement of Farkle's assessment.

"So why don't you just ask Riley to the dance? You want to take her, don't you?"

Maya nodded again. "Yeah. Why don't you ever do anything, Howdy? How can you just be okay with everything all the time?"

"I'm not okay with this. I just want Riley to make her own decision. If she wants to go with Charlie, she should."

Maya stood up, shouting, "Don't you get it? You aren't giving her another choice! She doesn't know where you stand, and everyone in our class keeps telling her that the two of you couldn't possibly work out! Of course, she'll wind up telling Charlie yes, because you never asked her! If you want to be with her, you should fight for her! And if you don't want to be with her, you should step back and let her be happy with someone else."

Lucas opened his mouth but was interrupted by Zay climbing out the window. Maya gasped in shock at seeing Zay, and Lucas had a hard time hiding the shock on his face. Farkle started to reach for Zay, to ask him what was going on, but Zay brushed past him on a mission, not stopping until he was right in front of Lucas.

"You!" he shouted, pointing his finger at Lucas. "How could you?"

"What did I do that was so wrong?" Lucas asked. "I assumed we were going together! I didn't think I had to ask! What were you doing in Riley's room? What did she say?"

"You never do anything!" Zay screamed, getting up in Lucas' face.

"Why are you so angry about this?"

Zay took a step back, smoothing out Lucas' shirt, and taking a calming breath. "Sorry, I, uh... Auggie let me in, and no one was there. Then Riley..."

Lucas interrupted. "Riley, what?"

"I found her in the closet. She was crying, man."

"She was?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Zay ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Darby wasn't exactly nice about this whole Lucas slash Charlie slash Riley slash Maya love square thing you guys have got going on."

Farkle tried to open the window, but it was locked again. He started knocking. "Riley, please let us in. We are your friends. We just want to help!"

Zay turned to Maya. "I did the best I could, Sweetheart. I hugged her and let her cry on my shirt. I listened to her and rubbed her back. We had some ice cream. Mainly because I was hungry, but girls like that when they're sad, right?"

Maya nodded, leading him over to the railing. She gently rubbed his back in soothing circles. "You did good, kid."

"Why did you leave her?" Farkle said, turning away from the window to face Zay. "She's all alone in there now!"

For the first time since coming outside, Zay smiled. "She wanted me to make sure you guys were all okay. She didn't want any of you to worry. She wouldn't let me stay. She thought Lucas would need me more. You guys are really lucky to have someone who cares about you so much."

It was Maya's turn to bang on the window. "You silly, sweet, amazing, girl! How dare you worry about Cactus Pete and the rest of us! Ring Power! I call Ring Power right now! You hear me? Let me in, Riles!"

The curtains started rustling, and Riley's voice could be heard on the other side. "I veto your ring power with ring power of my own! Go home, everyone! I'm fine."

The four of them stood flabbergasted, staring at one another.

"Can she veto ring power?" Farkle asked. "Is that a thing? Maybe you guys should make up a rule book or something."

Maya shrugged. "There goes my ace in the hole. I got nothing!"

While Farkle and Zay argued loudly about their next move, Lucas gently pushed everyone to the side. The fire escape was awfully crowded with all four of them on it, especially with everyone moving around and banging on the windows.

Lucas had stopped listening to everyone around him. The only person he wanted to talk to was on the other side of the window, he just had to figure out a way to get to her.

Maya had jumped on Zay's back for some reason, giving Lucas enough room to squeeze past them. When he made it to the far window closest to where Riley usually sat, he gently tapped on the pane.

"Riley, I know you're upset with me, but I'm not leaving until we talk about all this."

He waited a moment, then tapped again. "I'd like to talk face to face, but I'll do it through the window if I have to. I'm not giving up, Riles."

His fingers grazed the window as if they could reach out and touch her, and all the background noise faded away. Everyone stopped talking, and Maya quietly slid off Zay's back, all three friends focused on Lucas.

"I'm sorry, Riley."

He paused again, studying the curtains for any sign of movement. A part of him worried that she was no longer in her room.

"I didn't ask you to the dance because I just assumed we were going together. I didn't say anything today because I thought maybe you might want to go with Charlie."

He placed his palm flat against the glass. "Riley, you have every right to be mad at me. I handled this poorly. I should have come to you today when I found out about Charlie. I should have talked to you, but I'm here now, trying to do the right thing. Please, say something. Let me in, baby."

He looked back at his friends. Farkle gestured for him to keep going, Zay held his hands up mouthing 'back off,' and Maya just stared at him as if he was from another planet. When he turned away, Maya mouthed the word 'baby' to Farkle with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. He shrugged.

Zay noticed the interaction, nudging Maya saying softly, "It's good. Girls like pet names, right, Sugar?"

Maya rolled her eyes and slugged him in the arm.

Back at the window, Lucas sighed out in frustration. "Come on, Riley!"

Still getting no answer, he got agitated and began to raise his voice. "Riley, you are being ridiculous! Don't you think you're over reacting! It's just a stupid dance! It doesn't mean anything!"

"Uh oh!" Farkle said.

Zay slammed a hand to his forehead. "Idiot!"

"Just when I think you can't mess things up any worse, you find a way to Huckleberry it all up!"

Distracted by his friends, he didn't notice Riley throw the curtains to the side. He didn't hear the window open. And he definitely didn't see Riley's hand reach out and yank him in with far more force than a girl her size should have.

Before he knew what had happened, he had fallen into the window, tumbling until he was flat on his back on the ground, his legs awkwardly sticking up across the bay window seat. Staring up at a very angry Riley, he tried to catch his breath, to find his equilibrium.

He didn't know if it was the fall or if it was because she looked so gorgeous, her face washed clean of make up and her hair pulled back in a simple, but high, pony tail, but he couldn't get his heart to stop beating erratically.

He laid there, just staring at her as she slammed the bay window closed once more, pushing the lock in place before the others had time to react. Her eyes never left his as she silently fumed, huffing and puffing.

No matter what Riley did, no matter how she felt, she was so passionate and animated about life. It was one of the things he loved most about her. Even as mad as she was, Lucas couldn't help but think how adorable she looked. Her face was red, her eyes slightly puffy, and he swore if it were possible smoke was coming out of her ears, just like in those old cartoons Zay loved so much.

Both still silent, waiting for the other to make a move. Lucas tried to be a gentleman, to let her go first, but she just stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest and began tapping her foot impatiently.

Realizing he was on thin ice, that this might be his only opportunity to talk to her before she kicked him back out, he said the first thing that came to his mind, "Hi."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: As always thanks for your kind words, favorites, and follows! This one was a bit of a struggle. For some reason, I can't seem to keep things light; Riley has a flare for the dramatic! One more chapter after this! (You can't have a story about going to a dance and not show what happens at the dance!) Enjoy!**

Still stumbling, Riley secured her backpack on both of her shoulders and walked as quickly as she could. Before she knew what she was doing, she broke out in a full run, and she didn't stop running until she reached her apartment building.

From there, she raced into her bedroom, successfully avoiding her family. She tossed her bag in the corner as she rapidly glanced around the room, deciding her next move. Breathing heavily, she yanked all the curtains of the bay window closed.

Riley had never done that before, not during the day at least. She loved letting the light in, loved being a safe haven from the storm to her friends. They always knew they were welcome here. Her bay window was their bay window. But today...Today she just wanted silence and darkness and loneliness.

As the tears streamed down her cheeks she realized closing the curtains wasn't enough. The sound of locks on the windows clicking into place was deafening in the otherwise quiet room. It felt loud and final and like a part of her was shutting down. Maybe if she could stop feeling so damn much for just a minute, she could think. She could figure out a way to make sense of all this.

Taking her usual seat at the bay window, she tried to calm herself down. Focusing on her breathing, in and out. Nice and slow. If she could just allow the magic of the bay window to take over, maybe she could understand what she was feeling. She was almost there, _almost_ , until she heard the loud noises of her friends climbing up the fire escape.

Escape. She needed out. She needed away. Not taking the time to contemplate her actions, she opened the closet door and flipped on the lights. Staring at all her things as she debated what to do next, Riley found herself crawling into her walk in closet, scooting all the way back to the farthest wall. As far away from her window, from her sanctuary, as humanly possible, she inexplicably felt somewhat better.

And for the first time all afternoon, all school year, heck, maybe in her whole life, she allowed herself to give into the extreme sadness that she felt. She wasn't just crying, she was sobbing, full on, body-wracking, sobs. She was crying so loud she had to bite her fist in fear that her friends, whose muffled yelling she could still hear, might figure out where she was.

As if that thought made him materialize out of thin air, she heard Zay's voice. "Hellooo?"

Taking a deep breath, she attempted to sound like her normal perky self. She obviously failed because Zay cautiously approached her closet as if she were a skittish, frightened, bunny rabbit.

She could see the change in his face the minute he saw her. Worry gave way to shock, and before she could even register what had happened she was wrapped up in his comforting embrace, listening to his soft soothing voice.

After Zay promised they would sort things out, she told him about her conversation with Darby and the whole Charlie mess. Zay stayed quiet for the most part, besides making grunts of agreement and sighing when he disagreed, as he led her to the bathroom to get cleaned up. He handed her a towel after she washed her face, nodding for her to continue.

Riley had one eye on the mirror as she fixed up her hair, rambling on and on about how the comments the girls had made in class and the latest conversation in the bathroom had really gotten to her. She allowed herself to be led to the kitchen and continued talking about the events of the day as Zay made them both bowls of ice cream, smothered in chocolate syrup.

"It amazes me how you know where everything is in my kitchen."

"It's a gift," Zay responded with a shrug as he led her back to her bedroom. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she insisted that he keep the lights low, gesturing to the window, where the voices had quieted, but the shadows of her three friends remained.

"Okay, so I understand why you're upset. Darby can be awfully mean. But that doesn't really explain why you're so mad at Lucas. What did that clueless boy of ours do this time?" He asked, climbing onto the bed next to her.

When they were both comfortably sitting indian style with a bowl of ice cream cradled in their laps, Riley asked, "Why does our whole class hate me?"

Zay was so surprised, he dropped his spoon. "What? Our whole class adores you! Remember last week when Maya was pretending to be you, they wanted her to stay like that!"

"That's exactly my point! I'm replaceable! Maya's a better Riley than I am. Maya's a better everything than I am! That's why they all want her to be with Lucas. Perfect people belong with other perfect people. Not awkward, cry-baby, losers who hide in their closets!"

Zay set his empty bowl on the nightstand before taking hers away and wrapping her in another hug.

"You, sweetheart, are most definitely not replaceable. You are one of a kind, perfect just the way you are, and any guy, Lucas included, would be lucky to have you in their life. And guess what, darling? Lucas wants you. Not Maya. Not anyone else. He thinks you are perfect and wonderful and special just the way you are."

"Then why didn't he ask me to the dance? Why did he lie to me today? He is just going to let Charlie ask me. I stood there, waiting for him to say something, anything, and he said nothing!" Riley stood up at this point, turning away from Zay as the tears started to well up in her eyes once again. "I went and talked to Darby. He had to know that I knew what was going on. He had the perfect opportunity to clear this all up, and he did nothing! He is always just okay with everything. He just goes with the flow. Maybe he doesn't like me at all."

Zay stood up and followed Riley. "That's not true! He has liked you since the moment you fell into his lap."

Riley turned, eyes blazing. "Exactly! I literally fell into his lap! How easy is that for him? I could have been any random girl on the subway. If Maya hadn't pushed me into him, maybe he never would have noticed me. If Maya had fallen into his lap that day, maybe they would be together right now."

"Riley..." Zay sighed unsure how to respond, so he didn't, letting her continue on her rant.

"Obviously some small part of him must have doubts, must feel like I don't measure up, must realize I'm not good enough for him, because otherwise why wouldn't he fight for me? Do something? Say something? On top of all that, he lied to me, Zay. We don't lie to each other."

Zay started to open his mouth to try and defend his friend, but he was interrupted by Maya's shouting. Riley's eyes darted to the bay window.

"You better go out there. Lucas will probably need some backup."

She started to open the curtain.

"No, I want to stay in here with you. You need some backup right now, sugar. You need to know how important you are to all of us. How much you do-"

"Please, Zay. You want to help me? Make me feel better?"

He nodded, eagerly. Man, he sure was nodding a lot today, but his mom always told him when a girl was upset the best thing you could do was agree with her.

"Then go out there and make sure our friends don't kill each other. Tell them I'm fine and get them to go home!"

Riley giggled a bit and opened the window.

"Go!" she whisper-shouted, giving him a gentle shove.

She started to walk away, but she heard Farkle banging on the window. Smiling as she heard bits and pieces of their conversation through the glass, she craned her neck to try to hear everything that was going on.

Listening to Farkle and Maya bang on the window, hearing how much they cared about her, it almost made her want to open it and let them in. If they were by themselves, she might have, but using ring power at a time like this was a low blow! Especially when it would bring her face to face with Lucas.

"I veto your ring power with ring power of my own! Go home, everyone! I'm fine!"

All of a sudden there was a flurry of activity out the window, the shadows bounced around and the metal of the fire escape clanged. Riley briefly worried her parents would hear the noise and come barging in. She got up to reassure them everything was fine, but a gentle tapping on the window stopped her at the door.

"Riley, I know you're upset with me, but I'm not leaving until we talk about all this."

She slowly walked back to the window, taking a seat unknowingly directly in front of where Lucas stood on the other side.

"I'd like to talk face to face, but I'll do it through the window if I have to. I'm not giving up, Riles."

Her fingers grazed the window as if they could reach out and touch him, and everything else faded away but his voice.

"I'm sorry, Riley."

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she hesitated over the curtains, debating whether or not to let him in.

"I didn't ask you to the dance because I just assumed we were going together. I didn't say anything today because I thought maybe you might want to go with Charlie."

She placed her palm flat against curtains, pressing it against the glass, She shook her head no as if Lucas could see her.

"Riley, you have every right to be mad at me. I handled this poorly. I should have come to you today when I found out about Charlie. I should have talked to you, but I'm here now, trying to do the right thing. Please, say something. Let me in, baby."

She almost gave in, her hand hovering over the latch, but just as she went to let him in, she heard a deep, annoyed sigh as if he was dealing with a temperamental child who wouldn't take their medicine.

"Come on, Riley!"

She stopped her movements altogether when he began shouting.

"Riley, you are being ridiculous! Don't you think you're over reacting! It's just a stupid dance! It doesn't mean anything!"

She vaguely heard her friends making disparaging comments, but she was so enraged the only thing she could focus on was him. She threw back the curtains and opened the window with lightning speed. He wasn't even looking in her direction, so with strength she didn't know she had, she pulled him into the room, getting a small amount of satisfaction at the look of utter shock on his face.

She stared down at him sprawled on the floor, waiting for him to say something. A noise outside reminded her of the audience, so she slammed and locked the window for a 3rd time that day.

The longer he stayed quiet, the angrier she got. He was just staring at her with a stupefied expression on his face as if he had never seen her before. Maybe he hadn't, not really.

She crossed her arms and unconsciously began tapping her foot, the rage inside of her building up.

He propped himself up on his elbows still on the floor and said, "Hi."

The shy grin on his face made her momentarily forget the world, and she couldn't stop herself from replying with a hi of her own as a gentle smile played across her face.

Lucas stared at her for a long moment, afraid to move, to breathe. For a second, she was his Riley again. The girl who fell into his lap, who could calm his soul with just her smile.

Riley shook her head, snapping out of the daze he always seemed to pull her in. "No, I'm not doing this today."

She plopped down on the edge of the bed, and Lucas scrambled to get up, twisting and tripping his way to land next to her.

"Then what do you want to do?" he asked, reaching for her hand, but he was met with empty space as she sprain from the bed, livid once more.

"God, Lucas! What do you want to do?" She cried.

"Riley, I want to take you to the dance," he said giving her a beaming smile.

"Do you seriously think this is about the dance at this point?"

The smile quickly vanished from his face, replaced by a look of confusion. "Uh...No?"

"Do you really think I'm that shallow?"

"Of course not! I don't know what to think."

"Well, neither do I!" she shot back.

Lucas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, well, explain to me what you're thinking. Do you, you know, like Charlie or anything?"

It was Riley's turn to run her own hand through her hair. "Don't be ridiculous, Lucas. I like you. You know that. Everyone knows that."

"And I like you. Everyone knows that."

Riley held up a finger, rushing to the bay window. She whipped back the curtains to see Maya, Zay, and Farkle all with their ears pressed to the window.

Frustrated, Lucas stood up and quickly unlocked and opened one of the windows. "Go home! I am sick and tired of everyone else thinking they have a say in our relationship. This is between me and Riley. Not you guys, not her father, not Yogi and Darby, not the class, and most certainly not Charlie Gardner!"

Zay nodded, grabbing Farkle and Maya. "Honey, if you need me, you call me okay?"

Riley gave a slight nod, but didn't take her eyes off Lucas. When their friends had gone, he pulled back the curtains, opened the windows, and took a seat at the bay window, gesturing for her to do the same.

"That's much better," Lucas said when she finally sat next to him.

"You stood up for us," Riley said, gazing intently at the floor.

Lucas gave her a long look, trying to decipher her words. "I did."

"You stood up for us without Maya or anyone pushing you into it."

"Does that bother you in some way?"

Finally, Riley's eyes met his. "No. That's what I wanted."

"So...we're okay then?"

"No."

"Riley! Don't be so difficult. I hate when you're mad at me."

"You lied to me today, Lucas. I asked you what was going on, and instead of talking to me about it, you lied."

"I'm sorry. I was worried about what you would do when you found out that Charlie liked you."

Riley's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why?"

"Because he was going to do this big, sweeping, romantic gesture and I didn't even bother to ask you. I just assumed we were going to the dance together. Even if I thought we were going, I should have talked to you about it. And I know how much you love romance. What if you wanted to go with him?"

"Lucas, you have given me a romantic gesture or two along the way," Riley said, grabbing his hand. "You literally rode me off into the sunset on a white horse, and you asked my parents for permission to date me! And besides, the gesture doesn't matter. I don't want to go anywhere with Charlie. I don't like Charlie like that. Why are you so insecure about my feelings for you?"

Lucas stared intently at their joined hands. When Riley noticed where his focus was, she tried to pull away, embarrassed at her own forwardness, but he only squeezed her hand tighter.

"Why are you so insecure about my feelings for you, Riley? What have I ever done to make you think that I didn't like you?"

"Well, not asking me to the dance for starters," she mumbled.

Rolling his eyes, Lucas scooted closer to her, making the gap between them virtually nonexistent. "I like you, Riley. I like you a lot. I always have."

"Have you? Or do you just like me because I literally fell into your lap?"

Lucas was confused once again. "What?"

"For so long, everyone was pushing us in different directions. My father tried to keep us apart. Maya tried to push us together. At the beginning of the year, our class practically forced us to be boyfriend-girlfriend. Now they are pushing you with Maya and me with Charlie. Are we just trying to hold on to this fantasy we created in our heads that day on the subway or do you genuinely actually like me?"

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as Lucas grabbed hold of both her cheeks and gave her a sweet short kiss.

"I actually like you, Riley. I like that you make every day an adventure and a lesson all rolled up into one. I like that you see the good in people, the good in me. You make me laugh all day. I love that you aren't afraid to be goofy. And you are the best friend anybody could ever ask for."

Riley didn't know what to say, but Lucas took the fact that she was smiling as a good sign.

"I know I don't have flowers or balloons or Yogi on skates," Lucas started, kneeling down in front of her. "But I would love for you to go to the dance with me, if you still want to. More than that, I think maybe we should make our unofficial thing a little more official because I don't want you questioning how I feel about you ever again. Is that something you might want, too?"

Unable to contain herself anymore, Riley let out a loud, "Yay!"

Lucas let out a whoop of his own, sweeping Riley up in his arms and spinning her around the room.

"We do what we do, Riley. Not anybody else."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Finally! The conclusion to my first multi-chapter fic! This story did not go the direction I originally intended, but I have to say I am pretty happy with the end result! And before anyone brings out their pitchforks about Chaya, I want to point out that I ship Joshaya, but I don't want Maya sad and alone while she waits for someday. Charlie seems like a nice first boyfriend for her, especially within the context of this story.**

 **Anyways, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! I have really enjoyed writing for this fandom these last few weeks, and I am looking forward to working on some new things!**

 **I own nothing! Enjoy!**

Riley usually liked school, but today she was dreading it. After Lucas left, she sent Maya a quick text to let her know everything was okay, but other than that she hadn't seen or talked to anyone in the group. Maya had to come in early to finish up her art project, so Riley had been stuck taking the subway alone this morning.

Starting to do her combination on her lock, she looked around for her best friend, only to see Darby and Yogi standing right behind her. Yogi gave Darby a little nudge, causing her to take a step forward and speak.

"It has been pointed out to me that I may have been acting like a witch to you lately."

Yogi nudged her again. "Okay, okay, I was totally acting like a witch. Sarah and I shouldn't have campaigned for Lucas and Maya to win favorite couple, and I shouldn't have said such mean things to you about Lucas. Obviously, you guys know what you want, and we all should respect that. I'm really sorry, Riley."

"Uh, me, too," Yogi cut in awkwardly. He hated talking about all this mushy relationship stuff with anyone but Darby. "I never should have agreed to help Charlie in the first place. We all know you want to go with Lucas."

Smiling, Riley graciously accepted their apologies. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate that, but I really think it worked out for the best. Lucas and I had a long talk last night and that wouldn't have happened without you, Yogi. We decided to just keep doing what we do. It doesn't matter what anyone has to say about the two of us because we know what we want."

"That's right," Lucas said, coming to rest his arm over her shoulders. "If you guys could just spread the word that 'Rucas' is no longer up for debate, that would be fantastic. We aren't going to be nice about it anymore. No more class discussions, no more carrying us, no more pushing us. We are done dealing with all of this nonsense. We want to be happy, and I would think the two of you would understand that more than anyone else."

Darby quickly nodded. "We do. And we're sorry."

Yogi grabbed her hand. "Let's go, Darbs."

She gave the couple a little wave, calling over her shoulder. "Maybe we can double date some time!"

They both watched the couple walk away before Lucas turned to look at her. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Hi."

She giggled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Lucas opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Maya walking up between them.

"Honey! Huckleberry! I'm so glad to see that you two crazy kids worked everything out!"

Rolling her eyes, Riley turned back to her locker. When she opened it, it was full of big, brightly colored balloons.

"Uh, oh," said Maya.

Wide-eyed, Riley tried to gauge Lucas' reaction as random classmates started bringing her flowers. It felt like everyone in the hallway was staring at her, and Lucas had an unreadable expression on his face. Wordlessly she turned to Maya.

"Peaches..."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it," she said, grabbing the flowers out of the poor girl's hands. She continued yanking flowers out of the hands of their classmates before they had a chance to get to Riley until she had the full bouquet. The lights dimmed, a disco ball came down from the ceiling, and music started playing.

Despite herself, Riley gazed up at the dancing lights in amazement. It really was incredibly sweet. One glance in the direction of the green-eyed boy, however, had her gaze trained back to the ground. She forced herself to look annoyed, bored, disgusted, but she knew that Lucas wasn't buying it.

A banner came down and as Charlie walked around the corner, Maya rushed to meet him before he reached the couple, roses still in hand.

"Yes! A million times yes!" She exclaimed in an exaggerated southern belle accent. "I would be honored to go to the dance with you, Charlie Gardner!"

"Uh..."

"Oh my god, Riles!" Maya screeched in a valley girl accent, turning to grab the brunette's hand. "We can totally double now!"

"Double?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah," Maya said, her voice returning to normal. "Huckleberry and Riley made their unofficial thing official last night. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah," Charlie said as he ran a hand through his hair, trying his best not to sound too dejected. "Real great. I guess I'll pick you up tonight, Maya."

Maya forced an adoring smile on her face that immediately faded when Charlie walked away. "You both owe me!"

Riley gave her a big hug. "My best friend!"

"I'm serious! I'm talking first kid here. Maya if it's a girl and Mayan if it's a boy!"

Riley gave an indulgent nod. "We will love little Mayan with all our hearts."

She reached for Lucas' hand, who slowly came out of his mood. "Is this up for negotiation? Because I kind of already promised Farkle-"

"Farklina and Mayan Friar!" Riley exclaimed. "That's it! You are getting fixed, Lucas!"

Maya, using her fifties announcer voice, said, "It sounds like our Lucas is in quite the pickle! What will he dooooo?"

* * *

The two girls spent the afternoon giggling and getting ready, both feeling impossibly light.

"Seriously, Maya, thank you for falling on the sword for me. I'm sorry you keep getting stuck dating guys so that I can be with Lucas."

Maya shrugged as she swiped mascara on her eyelashes. "Eh, no biggie. I didn't have a date. Charlie's cute. Plus, I'm sure I can have fun messing with him."

"I'm just glad I didn't have to turn him down. I would have felt so bad for him, especially having to do it in front of Lucas."

"Right. Even I couldn't let him go through that kind of rejection. Poor kid bit by the Riley love bug. He didn't even see it coming."

Riley set down her makeup brush, staring at the counter. "Do you think I led Charlie on? I didn't know he liked me like that."

"No way. The whole school knows you like Lucas. Charlie just saw what he wanted to."

"Well, I just hope you two have a good time."

"Relax, honey. We are all going to have a good time. I'm sure of it."

Before too long, the boys were waiting in the living room, getting grilled by Corey. Lucas was used to it by now, and Charlie didn't seem fazed in the slightest. Being the only boy in his family, he was usually the one doing the overprotective routine.

When the girls finally appeared, Lucas was captivated by the girl in the yellow dress. She reminded him of sunshine and summer, and her radiant smile completed the picture perfect image.

Charlie was surprised at his reaction to the blonde. He promised himself that he would be a perfect gentleman, to treat Maya with the attention and respect she deserved, but looking at her in that gorgeous red dress, he found that promise to be the easiest thing in the world to keep. With barely a glance in Riley's direction, he grabbed Maya's hand and led her in front of the bay window where Topanga was taking pictures.

"Wow, Maya, you sure do clean up nice. You look...dazzling."

Maya smirked as she made exaggerated poses for the pictures. Giving Charlie a quick glance, she said, "You don't look too bad yourself, Sparky."

Rolling her eyes at Maya's antics, Riley turned to the quiet boy next to her. Nudging Lucas' shoulder, she said, "Everything okay?"

Lucas turned to her with a wide smile. "Just trying to commit this all to memory."

Riley leaned in to whisper with a knowing grin, "That's why we are taking pictures."

Lucas shook his head. He was standing behind Riley, hands on her hips in a classical 'prom picture' pose. "A picture could never do you justice, Riley. You look so beautiful. Thank you so much for agreeing to come to the dance with me."

Riley turned the top half of her body to face him. "Thank you for asking me."

They both leaned into each other.

"Okay!" Corey shouted, clapping his hands. "I want a picture with the two prettiest girls in New York!"

Lucas released Riley with a sigh; the magic of the moment ruined. He and Charlie stood next to the door while Maya and Riley took picture after picture with Corey, each pose more ridiculous than the last.

"Ow! My back!" Corey shouted after both Maya and Riley attempted to get on his back at the same time.

"Okay, kids, why don't you head out to the dance? Corey, let's stop by the hospital on the way to get Eric..." Topanga said.

The kids could hear the couple arguing as they quickly headed out the door.

"I'm fine, Topanga! I have to get to the dance! I can't leave those two looking all fancy alone together! You know what fancy clothes do to teenagers!?"

Once they got to the dance, both couples drifted to the edges of the dance floor. A couple guys were setting up for a band as a DJ played music.

"So, you gonna offer me a drink or what, Sparky?" Maya asked with a playful grin.

Charlie turned to her, a smile spreading across his face. "Maya, would you like some punch?"

"No, thanks."

Charlie laughed, shaking his head.

"So you gonna ask me to dance or what?"

Charlie held out his hand. "Would you do me the honor of dancing with me, Ms. Hart?"

Rolling her eyes, Maya accepted his hand and allowed herself to be led to the dance floor.

Riley laughed, watching her best friend hopping and shimmying around Charlie, who was doing his best to keep up. The smile on Charlie's face seemed to grow by the minute. Even Maya's smile seemed more genuine than before. Riley turned to Lucas to comment on it, only to find his eyes had been on her the entire time. She blushed, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Have I told you how amazing you look tonight?"

Riley's blush deepened. "Maybe once or twice."

"Sorry. I just can't believe I almost screwed this up...Riley," he said, taking her hand. "You are really important to me. I never would have survived New York without you."

"You're really important to me, too. I would have never survived middle school without you."

Lucas laughed. "Do you want to dance?"

The two couples spent the night dancing and laughing. Maya was surprised to find that she was actually having a really good time. Charlie was a nice guy, who seemed to play off her teasing well, and to his credit, his eyes never once wandered towards Riley. She thought she would spend the majority of the night running interference, making sure Riley and Lucas had the perfect date, but instead it seemed like she was having the perfect date all on her own.

They made their way to a table for a break, Charlie stopping to get them both punch. She accepted the little paper cup with a smile, saying, "Thanks. And thanks for going with me to the dance. I know you really wanted to go with Riley."

She didn't know why she brought Riley up, but something inside her compelled her to do so. She was used to being the sidekick, the second choice, the fairy godmother, in Riley's life lessons. Now that she found herself feeling things she hadn't felt before, she had to make sure she had a safe place to land, that she wasn't imagining things just for the sake of having something that was all her own.

Charlie took a seat next to her, scooting his chair closer so she could hear him over the music. "I'm actually really glad things worked out the way they did. I'm having a really great time."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, are you? Having a good time, I mean?"

For once in her life, Maya decided being serious was the way to go. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "Yeah, I actually am."

Their eyes connected, and Maya felt butterflies. Real genuine butterflies. For the first time, she thought the boy looking back at her might be getting butterflies, too. Not like with Josh, who insisted their age was a factor. Or like her recent confusion about Lucas, who she knew only had eyes and butterflies for Riley.

Riley once again noticed how happy her sister looked, staring deep into Charlie's eyes. She had never seen Maya act like this before. With Josh, it was always over the top and out of control. This seemed real, tangible, something her friend could actually hold on to.

"If you keep staring, I might start to get the impression that you're jealous, Riles," Lucas said in a forced teasing tone. Riley saw right through him.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as the music got decidedly slower, leaning in close so she could be heard over the music.

"Definitely not jealous. I am right where I want to be."

Lucas slid his hands around her waist, closing the distance even further. He marveled at how big his hands felt resting on her tiny hips.

"Maya seems happy, doesn't she?" Riley asked.

Lucas spared the couple walking hand in hand to the dance floor a glance. "Well, I guess everything worked out nicely for everyone."

"And to think we owe it all to Yogi," she giggled, coming to rest her head on his shoulder briefly before her dad came and shooed them to a more respectable distance from one another.

Lucas nodded before quickly gulping, trying to gain the courage to say what he was about to say.

"What is it, Lucas?" Riley asked. "Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me. Didn't we learn yesterday that talking is better than not talking?"

Lucas nodded again. "Look, Riley, I know we agreed to do things at our own pace, at our own time, but lately it feels like instead of moving slowly, we aren't even moving at all. I would like for us to be exclusive, uh, to be boyfriend and girlfriend. That doesn't mean anything has to necessarily change, I just want you and everyone else to know that I belong with you, not anyone else. And I would really like for you to belong to me. Not in like a possessive, obsessed, crazy way, just-"

Riley cut him off, grabbing both his cheeks to force him to look her in the eyes, his hands still firmly wrapped around her waist. She gave him a quick kiss before saying, "Lucas, I would love to belong to you and be your girlfriend. I would love for us to continue to move forward in our relationship at whatever pace we are both ready for. Right now, I feel ready to call you my boyfriend and to hold hands and go do things together, like on dates or with our friends. Do you feel ready for that, too?"

Lucas grabbed the hands that were still holding his cheeks, bringing them down until they were holding hands at their sides. He gave her a sweet, simple kiss on the corner of her mouth.

"I am most definitely ready."

Wrapping his arms around his new girlfriend, he gave a quick nod of appreciation to Yogi, who was slow dancing with Darby nearby. Yogi nodded back, faintly listening as Darby talked endlessly about her new favorite couple-Chaya.


End file.
